Articulated toy for amusement



June 12, 1956 HUTH 2,750,189

ARTICULATED TOY FOR AMUSEMENT 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 21, 1953 IMHO!! INVENTOR.

l 3511 WILBUR M. HUTH ATTORNEY June 12, 1956 Filed May 21, 1953 W. M. HUTH ARTICULATED TOY FOR AMUSEMENT 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

WILBUR M- HUTH BY ATTORNEY June 12, 1956 w, HUTH 2,750,189

ARTICULATED TOY FOR AMUSEMENT Filed May 21, 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 FIG. 5

INVENTOR. .23 WILBUR M. HUTH ATTORNEY United States Patent ARTICULATED TQY FOR- AMUSEMENT Wilbur M. Huth, Akron,.0hio

Application May 21,1-953,--Serial No. 356,578

8 Claims. (Cl; 27231) This invention relates to an articulated toy for amusement.

One object of the invention is to provide a toy of the character described wherein amusing objects may be variously moved in a circular path by means ofv a simple direct drive from a motor shaft to a rotary member on an axis at an angle to the axis of the motor shaft, without use of gears, and in a manner which is substantially self-adjusting to maintain requisite speed of the rotary member when the motor attains full power.

Other objects of the invention will be manifest from the following brief description and the accompanying drawings.

Of the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a toy embodying the features of the invention.

Figure 2 is a front elevation thereof.

Figure 3 is an enlarged horizontal cross-section, partly broken away, taken on the line 33 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a vertical cross-section, on the same scale and partly broken away, taken substantially on the line 44 of Figure 3.

Figures 5 and 6 are views similar to Figure 2, illustrating modified uses of the toy.

Referring particularly to Figures 1 to 4, the numerals 10, 10 designate a pair of toy airplanes, pivotally attached to the lower ends of elongated wire elements 11, 11 having eyelets 12 at the upper ends thereof removably received on hooks 13, at the outer ends of radial arms 14, 14 of a rotary member 15 supported on a casing 16 in a manner that the airplanes are elevated slightly above a platform 17 at the top of the casing. The rotary member 15 may include a post 18 (see Figures 3 and 4) having its upper end rotatably received through a bearing opening 19 in said platform 17 and having a relatively small disc 20 on its lower end gravitationally supported on a freely extending driven shaft 21 of a minature electric motor 22 mounted on a removable bottom wall 23 of casing 16. The shaft 21, which is of relatively small diameter compared with the diameter of disc 20, may have a short length 24 of elastic tubing forcibly adjustable length wise thereon, to vary the point of driving contact with the disc 20, and thereby providing means for adjusting the rotational speed of the rotary member 15. Thus, as shown in Figures 3 and 4, the circumference of the tubing or sleeve 24 is substantially less than the circumference of the circular portion of the disc 20 frictionally engaged by said tubing or sleeve. In the upper end of post 18, which is shown flush with the upper face of said platform, may be a socket 27 of irregular shaped cross-section, in which is removably and non-rotatably received a complemental lower end 28 an upward extension 29 of the post, said extension having the arms 14 affixed thereon.

The electric motor 22 may be powered by dry cell battery means 30 mounted on the base 23 of the casing 16 and connected to the motor by wires 31, 32 and 33,

2. through a manually'operated switch 34' on the vertical casing wall 35a.

In use of the toy described above, as for amusement of children, it is operated by closing switch' 34 to run the'motor 22 in given direction, whereby rotation-of shaft 21 is effective, through elastic sleeve 24 engaging the smooth underside of disc 20 at a selected point outwardly of the vertical axis of post 18, to rotate the post at desired speed effective to swing the airplanes 10 in a circular path in counter-clockwise direction viewed in Figure 1, the speed of rotation being suflicient whereby centrifugal force will cause the airplanes to move outwardly from the vertical, as shown in chain-dotted lines in Figure 2. Due tothe frictional contact between elastic sleeve 24 and disc 20', maintained by weight of the rotary member 15, there will be a certain amount of slippage which will prevent the motor 22 from operating the rotary member'at undesirableor excessive speed;

The post extension 29 is removable from post' 18 for selective replacement by different toy devices, such as is shown in Figure 5, wherein a toy horse or other animal 35 is pivotally attached to the outer end of a radial arm 36 integrally extending from a post extension 2% inserted in socket 27, as shown in Figure 4. The top face of the platform 17 may have peripherally spaced grooves 37, or it may be otherwise roughened along a circular path, and the toy animal 35 may be balanced or weighted on the arm 36 to have a hind foot 38 drag along said roughened surface as the shaft 18 is rotated as described, whereby the toy animal will bounce along said circular path with a clattering noise.

Figure 6 illustrates use of another form of replacement toy device, comprising an elongated rod 49 pivoted at its longitudinal center to the upper end of a post extension 29b, which is mounted in the socket 27 of post 18 as before. The pivoted rod 40 simulates a see-saw, and for that purpose toy figures 41 and 42 are mounted in substantially balanced relation on the opposite outer ends thereof. The arrangement is such that as the post 18 and extension 2% thereof are rotated, downwardly presented feet 43 and 44 of the toy figures will intermittently engage the roughened surface portions 37 of platform 17, and thereby cause the rod 40 to see-saw on its central pivot.

Modifications of the invention may be resorted to without departing from the spirit thereof or the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. An animated toy comprising at least one object to be animated, a relatively fixed support having an upwardly presented member having a guide passage therethrough, a motor relatively fixed on said support and having a driven shaft extending in horizontal direction therefrom, a post received through said guide passage to rotate about a vertical axis thereof, said post having an enlargement non-rotatably aifixed on its lower end and provided with a substantially flat, downwardly presented circular surface portion of substantial area concentric with the axis of said post, said driven shaft having an annular portion terminating radially outwardly of the center of said circular surface, said shaft through said annular portion thereby gravitationally supporting said post, said driven shaft through frictional engagement of said annular portion thereof with said circular surface of the enlargement being adapted to rotate said post about its axis, the circumference of said annular portion being substantially less than the circumference of said circular surface portion, said post having an extension upwardly of said member to be rotatable with the post, means on said post extension for supporting at least one said object to rotate with the post, the frictionally engaging surfaces of said annular portion and circular surface being such as to permit a certain degree of slippage, whereby said object is swung about said vertical axis with substantially unpredictable irregular movement.

2. An animated toy as set forth in claim 1, said annular portion of said shaft including thereon a piece of elastic tubing.

3. An animated toy as set forth in claim 1, said extension having at the upper end thereof radially outwardly extending arms at the outer ends of which said objects are supported to swing in a circumferential path.

4. An animated toy as set forth in claim 1, said extension having at the upper end thereof radially outwardly extending arms at the outer ends of which said objects are supported to swing in a circumferential path, said objects being pivotally supported on said arms to swing relatively of the same.

5. An animated toy as set forth in claim 1, said extension having at the upper end thereof radially outwardly extending arms at the outer ends of which said objects are supported to swing in a circumferential path, said member being a horizontal platform having upwardly presented, peripherally spaced raised portions, said objects being mounted on said arms to pivot thereon in 4 vertical direction and having portions adapted to trail over said raised portions as they are swung with said post extension, and thereby to produce a rattle.

6. An animated toy as set forth in claim 1, said post extension being removably attached to said post.

7. An animated toy as set forth in claim 1, said post having a socket at the upper end thereof and opening above said platform, said extension having its lower end relatively non-rotatably received in said socket.

8. An animated toy as set forth in claim 1, said annular portion being adjustable along said shaft to adjust the speed of rotation of said post.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,342,577 Zion June 8, 1920 1,348,921 Zion Aug. 10, 1920 1,358,768 Maisano Nov. 16, 1920 1,420,584 Smith June 20, 1922 2,061,695 Dalton Nov. 24, 1936 2,411,596 Shapiro Nov. 26, 1946 2,613,931 Singer Oct. 14, 1952 

